The Proclamation to the World

I thought since this is my last post for my family class I would post the Proclamation to the World and share with everyone my testimony on the truths that lie within this wonderful document. Here is the proclamation below:

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THE FAMILY

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A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

It got a little messed up at the top so sorry about that:) You can also go and access the Proclamation here.

I know that the men who wrote this document were called of God and that the things that they wrote up above are true and I have seen these principles work miracles in my life. 

From the time I was born until I was 8 years old, I did not have the fortune of having the gospel in my life. I wouldn't say that my family wasn't untied as one, but the gospel definitely helped us come together more. All of our beliefs and moral views were tied together as one and as we began to strive towards being better disciples of Christ, we were able to grow much closer as a family. The first part of the Proclamation where it describes what our purpose here is on earth and why we are here brought much clarity to my family's life. I was young at the time so I didn't understand fully what the gospel had done for me but, looking back I can see that the gospel gave me purpose. I know why I am here and where I am going afterwards.

When I came to BYU-I I took several classes where we began to dive deeper into the Proclamation. I had read it before, but I don't think I had ever paid too much attention to what it was saying. One day, I was sitting in class as we were going over the proclamation and it just sunk in how important it was for me to become a mother. Don't get me wrong, I had always wanted to be a mother but the importance of it really sunk in and from that time on that is all I have wanted to do. I know that I was given a gift from Heavenly Father to be able to bear children and to bring life into this world. I know how sacred and important that gift is. I am so grateful that Kelsey and I were both able to be strong enough and wait until we got married to each other to use those sacred powers of pro-creation. I know for a certainty that those special powers of procreation are only to be used within the bounds of marriage.

I am also so grateful that we were worthy to go into the Lord's house and to be sealed together for time and all eternity. The baby that we lost, will be ours forever and I will get to see my precious baby one day because of this very sacred power. I know that families can be together forever and I know that Kelsey and I will be a family with our sweet spirit one day. I also have a testimony of the work that goes on in the temple for the dead. We are able to bring the gospel and joy into their lives because of the temple. It is a very holy and sacred place and I am grateful that the Lord has provided us with so many temples to do the work he has asked.

I am also very grateful that the Proclamation spells out what the duties of husband and wife are. As I began looking for someone that I could marry and spend eternity with, I used the guidelines of the proclamation to help lead me to Kelsey. I feel as if I don't brag about Kelsey enough so I am going to take the time to do so.:) I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with such an amazing husband. He is so close to the spirit and he is always listening for what Heavenly Father would have him do. He is a very hard worker and he has worked very hard for the past 4 years in school so that he could get a good job for our family and be able to provide. He takes his duties very seriously. I am also grateful that the Proclamation gives us guidance on how we should raise our children. This is such a huge task. I don't even have children yet and at times just thinking about it makes me feel overwhelmed. I know that if we stick to the things the Lord and the leaders of the church have laid out in the Proclamation that we are going to raise children that are strong in the gospel and who know who their Savior and Heavenly Father is.

I encourage each and every one of you to study out the proclamation and to decide how you can apply it in your life. Whether you are a member or not, the Proclamation is for everyone. If you have read it before, I encourage you to read it again. Every time I read it something new pops out at me. I know that if Kelsey and I use this as our guide in life we will always stay close to the Lord.

Cold Hard Facts About Marriage

I have had many of my unmarried friends ask me if getting married is worth it. Do I think I made the right decision to get married so young? Was I happier single? These friends have said they heard that marriage is hard and scary and they just don't know if it was for them. They didn't want to get married if they weren't going to happy and get divorced. Plus, there are so many marriages that fail today they didn't want to be one of those people. Well I am here to tell you that being married is the best choice I have ever made. If you don't believe me, go watch this Mormon message on marriage. You will see many other couples speak on how much they love their spouse.

So when you read the post entitled the cold hard facts, you were probably thinking I was going to talk about all the hard things that come with marriage. But I am not going to do that today. I am going to give you reasons to want to get married.

1. Married couples are more likely to have better health than those who are unmarried. They have a longer life expectancy. Why? One of the reasons I think this is the case is because you don't want to do anything that would risk dying and leaving your spouse alone. Before Kelsey and I got married I was kind of a dare devil. I even wanted to go skydiving. Now, I don't do anything that would risk my health because I don't want him to be left alone.

2. people who are married have a greater life satisfaction, lower risk of depression, and greater economic stability, all leading to a better mental health. My life has improved greatly since being married to Kelsey. I am much happier now that we are married because I know that life can never be that bad as long as I have Kelsey by my side.

3. Wiser choices are made with couples who are married. I know that when I have a bad idea Kelsey is there to balance me out and ground me and the same goes for me grounding him. We are each others sounding boards and often times are the voice of reason to each other.

When making the choice to get married researchers have found that in happier marriages the couple has two things in common, values and life goals. This makes complete sense to me. When a couple shares the same values and life goals they are going to agree on the big stuff that comes up in life. Also, they are both going to be headed and wanting the same things in life. Now I am not saying that if you agree on these things there are never going to be fights but it will definitely make married life much easier.


We have the same goal that we should eat ice cream as much as possible in life:)

So now that you have heard the "cold facts" on marriage do you still not want to get married?

Equal Partnership in Marriage

I have been able to be able to spend the weekend with Kelsey and our second year anniversary is coming up so I have been thinking about our marriage a lot and how blessed I am to have such a great husband.

Although in the proclamation we read that man and women have different roles and duties in the marriage, couples need to work together in order to have a healthy and successful marriage. In the fall, I took a class on marriage and one day my teacher drew a diagram on the board that I will never forget as long as I live. I had seen it before but for some reason this time it really sunk it.

Here is the diagram, I am sure that many of you have seen it before. I just want you to pay extra attention to it and see that in a marriage there is one person who is higher. It is not the husband, nor is it the wife, it is Heavenly Father. Husband and wife are on equal playing field.

So what can husband's and wife's do to keep this from happening?

One thing that I read when I was doing research on this topic was that in the marriage there must be room for both the husband and wife to have dreams. Along with having those dreams, they must each support the other in their dreams or hobbies and do everything they can to encourage it.

I have two hobbies that I absolutely love to do. I love cooking and I love crafting. These are no cheap hobbies in the slightest and I have often felt guilty that my hobbies cost so much money. However, Kelsey has never told me that he thinks my hobbies cost too much money and that I need to find new ones. He has actually tried to get involved in them as much as he can. Cooking is always easier for him to support than crafting but he always talks about how awesome he thinks my crafts are. When it comes to cooking, he is always more than happy to try my food and desserts:) He has even learned how to make some things like bread and it is something we do together every Sunday. 






One of Kelsey's main hobbies or dreams is actually his major which is engineering. He loves it and he loves to talk to me about it. When we first got married and he would talk about I would normally just nod my head and tell him I had no idea what he was talking about. Now, I still don't have a huge idea of what he is talking about but I try to get involved and learn. I ask him about projects and encourage him when he does well on his tests. 

One thing that I also thing is important is finding a hobby that you both like and do it together. When a couple can do this, it allows for couples to feel they are on equal playing fields and they can bond together over it. One does not feel their hobby is more important because it is something they came up with together.

Kelsey and I both love to exercise. It is something that we have always done together. Our schedules don't always match up and it would probably be easier to just go to the gym at different times. But we make sure we find a time where we can both go to the gym together. It makes me feel closer to Kelsey knowing that it is something that we do together.


One other thing I wanted to touch base on when it comes to this topic was sharing duties. Although like I mentioned before that the proclamation spells out specific duties for husband and wife, they can both take part in sharing all the duties in some way. For example, wife's are mainly responsible for the nurturing of children but husbands can help in taking care of the children as well.

One way Kelsey and I share duties is through chores. It is always said that the wife is supposed to take care of all the chores in the house but Kelsey and I share this responsibility. Kelsey cleans the bathroom and all the floors every week and I clean the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. It is different for everyone but it's what works for us.

I have a true testimony of equal partnership in marriage. Like I mentioned it is different for every couple but, I know that if husband and wife can find a way where they can both have equal partnership, they are going to much happier.